Marketing Promotions

Promotions motivate consumers. To buy. To engage. To spread the word.
The trick is understanding what will motivate them best. And that’s why, before we start thinking tactics, we use our research tools to think habits, beliefs and aspirations. It’s not about a flashy prize or a trendy gimmick–if promotional marketing companies don’t know their target, they don’t know how to move consumers to act.

Shelf to cart

Retail Marketing

When the shopper is at the shelf, it’s our most powerful opportunity to influence purchase–and that’s pretty exciting to us.

We were founded in part on retail marketing and we love it. It’s the ultimate opportunity to bring together insights, strategy, technology, innovation and killer creative.

IN THE CARTS AND MINDS OF SHOPPERS

So how does Swanson Design Group do it? We start with getting to know our shopper through insights. At the most basic, we aim to answer:

Why are they shopping? Is it a last-minute trip for essentials or a pre-planned, stock up kind of trip? Are they in a hurry or ready to spend some time?

What are their motivations? Are they money savers or do they seek to impress? Are they health conscious or indulgent?

Are they shopping for an occasional or part of a routine? Who are they shopping for?

Did they research at home–finding product information online, on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest? Or are they likely doing research in store on a mobile device?

HOW WE FIND THE ANSWERS

Using Hatch—the top-rated research facility on our campus—and industry-leading software to track and analyze consumer trends and behavior, we’re able to gain valuable insights long before they become common knowledge. We use these insights to inform our retail marketing strategy.

INSIGHTS AND INNOVATIONS

We create strategies that are directed by insights because that’s the key to a successful shopper marketing program. But what really revs our engine is innovation. We love the opportunity to use new technologies to unlock new possibilities for engaging consumers at the point of purchase.

ONGOING RELATIONSHIPS

Ultimately, we don’t want to just spark a purchase, we want to start a relationship with consumers to lead to repeat purchases. And that’s why it’s important that we tie all marketing channels together and bolster it all with meaningful creative.

In their hands

On-Premise Marketing

There’s no better time to connect with consumers than when your product is in their hands.

SOCIAL MARKETING ISN’T JUST ONLINE

Good on-premise marketing is about more than just intercepting consumers. It’s about joining them. We don’t want to interrupt good times; we want your brand to make good times even better.

That’s why, as an experiential marketing agency, we develop programs that do more than just hand your product to consumers. We develop programs that engage, entertain and frame your product as the catalyst to a memorable night out.

READY, SET, STRATEGY

But that’s just the outcome. The process starts months or years earlier with a strategy founded on insights. What are our target’s aspirations? What message will resonate with them? Good event marketing companies will tell you that if you can’t answer these questions—and many others like them—your on-premise efforts are doomed.

THEN, WE CUT LOOSE

Once our strategy is watertight, we head to the brainstorm room. How can we do something fresh, something that other event marketing companies haven’t done? How do we create a program that people will not only want to interact with, but talk about, too?

That’s when we go back to our audience. We think about their needs and their passions and let them lead us to the big idea.

Sometimes that means point-of-sale displays. Other times, it means brand-trained sampling teams. And yet other times it means taking over bars and restaurants for high-profile branded events. But most often it means all three: complete programs that are designed for scalability.

Built for results

Quarterly Programs

Power periods, quarterly pushes, seasonal programs–no matter what you call them, these bursts of activity can lift business fast.

KNOW WHERE YOUR TARGET IS. THEN GO THERE.

With the best research tools at our disposal and a top-rated research facility on our campus, we start by learning how your target thinks and where they hang out. Then, as a 360-marketing agency and full service digital agency, we place your promotion wherever it will be most effective, including:

After we’ve put your program in market, it’s time to start measuring the results. And the great thing is that we develop your program with specific goals that tie back to your larger brand objectives. That means your ROI isn’t an afterthought. It’s on our minds from the very beginning. And, as other digital advertising companies will tell you, these days programs often have digital components–meaning we can measure their success down to a single click.

FITTING THE PUSH INTO THE PLAN

While quarterly programs are effective on their own, they’re most powerful when integrated into a larger brand plan. That’s why we craft our promotions so that they fit with your yearly initiatives and long term goals.

Lead them to conversion

Sweepstakes & Contests

In a world of instant gratification and overstimulation, how can you make sweepstakes and contests feel relevant, buzz-worthy and exciting?

To really grab a consumer and lead them to conversion, promotional marketing companies need to engage consumers in an ongoing relationship, not a quick, one-time contact. There used to be a time when the chance for a huge windfall from a sweepstakes or contest was enough to lure in consumers and keep them coming back for a while. That time is long gone.

HOW WE DO IT

Promotions that resonate with the target’s lifestyle and that build buzz are promotions that impact the bottom line. And we tightly integrated sweeps and contests into these promotions in truly engaging ways.

Converting consumers using sweeps and contests takes more than simple giveaways. We capture attention, we activate imaginations, we get consumers to relate, we entertain and we educate.

Contests and sweepstakes management are powerful, but they’re just one component of promotions marketing. They work in conjunction with the greater campaign.

ALWAYS FULL CIRCLE

All activations should be strategically linked to and build back to the brand strategy. And we make sure it’s done in the right way for the right consumer, including contests at events, online promotions and sweepstakes in the on-premise.

THEY TAKE ON MANY FORMS

We might aim for millions of consumers with a grand prize of thousands of dollars. Or we might aim at a select group of people with several smaller scale prizes. We’ve put together large-scale sweeps, small-scale contests and everything in between. The key is tailoring it to the consumer and the marketing objective.

Our Creative Agency Services Include:

Advertising Campaign Development and Management

Branding Campaign Design, Development and Management

Web Site Design and Content Management

Search Engine Optimization Services

Social Media Management Services

E-mail Marketing Services

Video and Animation Design and Production

Marketing Collateral Design and Production

Trade Show Display Design, Production and Logistics

Product Packaging Design and Development

Interested in our services now?

Our Promise is the key on which our brand is built. It is the expectation that we must live up to every time anyone has contact with our company and its products or services, whether it is through advertising, buying experiences, or encounters with our team.